The Butterfly's Return
by Tarmachan
Summary: When the police are baffled, there's only one man that can help. Can Fai D. Fluorite, the city's only consulting detective, and his  long-suffering  flatmate Dr. Kurogane Suwa solve the murders plaguing London?  K/F, AU based on BBC's 'Sherlock'.
1. The game is on

**Disclaimer: All referenced characters in this story belong the the lovely ladies of CLAMP. The world of Sherlock Holmes was originally created by the masterful Arthur Conan Doyle, but this particular modern incarnation belongs to the BBC.**

**So this was inspired by a prompt over at lj, asking for a story set in the world of BBC's _Sherlock_ featuring Sherlock!Fai and Kuro-Watson. Since the prompter was pleased with the end result, I decided it was fit for human eyes and thus it it now on here. There'll be seven chapters altogether in what I hope is a good attempt at a murder-mystery. Only with KuroFai madness. Enjoy.  
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><p>It was three a.m. in the middle of a dreary September when Kurogane heard the gunshot.<p>

It took him a brief moment, in the transition from sleeping to waking, to realise that it had in fact been real, and not part of the reminisces of war that danced often through his dreams of late.

Realising that the situation was possibly quite serious, he launched out of bed and hurtled down the short flight of stairs, pausing outside of the study to assess his next move. This was not the first time that danger had come knocking to the rooms he shared at 221B Baker Street. A narrow crack of light escaped the door, partially open to afford him a view inside. It was his flatmate he was concerned for now, as he peeked inside the study, though his mood quickly swung from panic stations to something entirely different.

The man in question was sitting calmly in the armchair facing the door, neither injured nor distressed, gun pointed at the much-abused wall. _My bloody gun_, Kurogane thought, anger rising as he stepped into the room. Before his companion could fire again he rushed forwards, snatching the weapon from his hands and restoring the safety. Reassured that it wouldn't blow off his backside, he stashed it in the waistband of his loose pyjama bottoms.

"Sleuth, what the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" Kurogane snapped as loud as he dared.

"Musing on a case, Kuro-elementary." His tiresome cohabiter replied, pulling the dressing gown tighter around his skinny frame.

"It's three in the morning. You _fired a gun_ at the wall- can you even _begin_ to understand what's wrong with this situation, idiot detective? Mrs Hibiya is going to go mental when she sees that!"

"Nonsense, Kuro-sleep-deprived. I was merely aiding a police investigation; I've just stumbled upon the answer to a _very_ clever riddle! No doubt she'll thank me for being a great help to society!" His blonde flatmate replied cheerily; no doubt he'd been dosing himself up on nicotine patches and god knows what else whilst he'd been considering this _very clever riddle_.

"Sometimes I forget that you don't really get people."

"But of course I get people, Kuro-nonsense! I get what people think when they're driven to commit crime, I can dig out motives where there seem to be none, I understand exactly the nature of the human heart when it comes to its most base desires. What you're referring to are the useless aspects of social interaction, the bits that I have no need of learning because they do not concern my line of work."

"You mean like the solar system?"

"For God's sake, Kuro-tan, why must it always come back to that?"

"Because— No, nevermind. I'm not starting that again. And stop the nicknames." Bidding his flatmate goodnight, with a growled threat not to do anything else stupid, he returned to his bed to get some rest...

... and was woken rudely again at six by a knock on the door and some clonking up the stairs. His military training had both blessed and cursed him to be a light sleeper, plus that shot still had him on edge. It was a wonder that Mrs Hibiya hadn't heard it, though he suspected that she feigned a certain amount of ignorance towards his partner and his adventures; Kurogane had to admit that it was probably for the best. Getting involved could easily get you killed.

Judging from the whispered screeching from below, however, it appeared that she had just found the wall.

Unable to get back to sleep, and certain that he would be woken soon by the blonde anyway, he gave it up as a bad job and descended once more to the study, which adjoined onto a tiny kitchen. He was always wary about poking around (in his _own_ kitchen, for God's sake) in case there was another severed head in the fridge, but Mrs Hibiya seemed to pay no mind to any of the strange things adorning the countertops, including a rack of test tubes that gave off a pungent odour, as she busied about making tea and biscuits for themselves and the guest seated in the armchair facing the window.

As he entered the visitor stood, turning to greet him with a handshake, and Kurogane recognised him as a frequenter of the services of his often off-kilter friend.

Said friend was currently gazing out of the window into the foggy morning. It was at moments like these that he could really study his companion, when he wasn't jumping around all excitedly over some clue he'd found or something he'd suddenly deducted. Fai D. Fluorite, a consulting detective, ready to tackle any mystery that piqued his interest. He was tall, though not as tall as Kurogane, with the physical consistency of a beanpole, though he was well aware that the man was skilled in both swordplay and some manner of fighting arts, which he had witnessed used against villains more than once, so there must be some decent muscle under that unnaturally smooth skin. His delicate yet strong fingers also put themselves to use on the violin, which would have been a talent to appreciate had Kurogane not been woken at ungodly hours by its melodies. It wasn't, however, his body that fascinated Kurogane enough to watch him at times like this. It was his face. More specifically, it was his expression. Framed as it was by silken gold locks, which refused to appear as anything more than a great mess, the way his face twisted when he had his teeth into another case was a sight to behold. It was an expression where everything just seemed to open up, and an unmistakable glint of anticipation shone from those cerulean eyes.

Milliseconds had passed in his evaluation; turning back to their visitor, he returned the handshake and smiled politely in greeting.

"Dr. Suwa," the man greeted him, "I was just telling your, er, companion here about a murder we picked up this morning. Seems right up your alley."

Inspector Doumeki looked a little haggard in the early morning light, Kurogane observed as he took the chair opposite, but then he always looked a little haggard. In a city as big as London, murder was fairly frequent, and sometimes there were just no leads. That was about the time the police came to consult Fai, who could often, with a few milliseconds to consider, either point out something that had been overlooked, or instead (and this tended to happen more often than not) arrive at the culprit through a series of seemingly unconnected factors, which were "_so obvious, don't you _see?_"_.

"If you'd be happy to tell your story in full detail, Inspector," the consulting detective said, "I know you've not slept since yesterday, and been stuck signing tedious paperwork for quite a long time before the incident occurred, no?"

Kurogane was surprised that Doumeki was still surprised at these little things, after all the time he had known the blonde man. Still, he couldn't deny that he was still impressed every time Fai pointed out something that he shouldn't possibly know, and then proceed to explain the bits of evidence that led to his conclusions, pieces that seemed so obvious once explained, but were an enigma to everyone but him.

"How—?"

"The fact that you haven't changed your clothes since yesterday is fairly obvious to all of us, I expect, and the dark circles beneath your eyes. As for signing, you have distinct scuff-marks on your right sleeve, and an indent on your right ring finger, consistent with writing for a long period of time, along with ink stains on your fingers. Since no one does anything manually these days, I deduced that it was your signature that required you to use a pen for such a lengthy amount of time."

The inspector chuckled a little, shaking his head in a resigned way. "You never fail to amuse me, Fai. Now, to the facts of the case:

"It occurred in the early hours of this morning, around half past two," he started, "a body was found in a flat just south of the river, in Rotherhithe. Now, normally we wouldn't bring a simple murder to you—"

_Which means that it's one of those strange cases that will excite Fai. No wonder he's got that gleam in his eyes this morning. I can just sense the danger creeping up already..._

"— but we've established links with two other cases, murders committed in other parts of the City."

"But linked multiple murders aren't something so uncommon for the metropolitan police, surely? Which means that there's another element to them. Something fascinating, something that will draw _my _attention to them, right?" The gleam just grew as his blonde companion absorbed the words.

"Yeah. The victims didn't appear to have any link at first, and stabbings are a pretty common way to go here, unfortunately. The reason we realised they're linked is the signature left at the scenes." He handed Kurogane a photograph.

It was a fairly simple signature, printed on white paper in black ink; a single swallowtail butterfly alone on the page.

"I do love someone who likes to sign their work."

"Fai," Kurogane broke in, "Try to remember, once again, that there are people who have died."

"Why, will they mind that I've hurt their feelings?" His partner asked, blue eyes cool.

Kurogane sighed. _He just doesn't get it._

"Ahem, anyway," the inspector continued, filling the frosty silence, "The signature points towards a serial killer, which might be enough to bring it to you, once we'd exhausted more leads. The problem is with the witnesses."

"There were witnesses?"

"Yeah, those who heard noises or such during the first and third murders. There are three in total, and they all caught a glimpse of our killer as they fled the scene."

"So what's the problem? I mean, you've got people looking for them, right? Why come to us?" Kurogane asked, puzzled.

"Because, Kuro-confused, there is obviously something strange with what they saw."

"Exactly. And the strange thing-" He pulled out a composite sketch of the murderer and held it up to the cold morning light streaming through the windows. "-is this. Recognise her?"

The composite sketch wasn't really that great, Kurogane noted, but it did bear a striking resemblance to someone whose identity was niggling at the back of his brain. He raked his mind of people he'd seen on TV lately, whilst reading the additional info given by the witnesses, and then suddenly it hit him.

"But that- _that's impossible_!"

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><p><strong>What's impossible, I wonder? Guess we'll find out next time... ;D<strong>


	2. You see but you don't observe

"What? I don't recognise her."

"Once again, your ignorance of pop culture astounds me." Kurogane pointed out. "She's been on TV a fair bit, but not since the beginning of this year... I get now why it's a butterfly." He began to explain the finer details of her identity.

The woman in the composite sketch may not have been an exact match for her real-life counterpart, but there was no mistaking that hair. How many women had black hair so long that it reached to their thighs? And those eyes... Eyes that saw right into your soul, digging out your darkest secrets. Eyes that knew more about you than you ever would.

Yuuko Ichihara, the world's highest paid agony aunt and fortune teller. So valued was her advice that people paid great sums of money to take their problems to her and to get a sign about their future (many a celebrity had visited her over the years, and a politician or two). On the side, she dealt in antiques and high-value pawnbroking, the business that she had owned before fame had struck. When she was found dead in her house, a gorgeous old property in the north of the city that also functioned as her workplace, many of her ex-customers mourned. She had been featured in many publications and programmes at the time, late in January of this year, and her demise, ruled as suicide via overdose by the coroner, was a great shock to those who had heard of the woman.

_As for how a dead woman could be committing murders now, well that's probably why they're coming to Fai._

"The butterfly is her business logo, another sign pointing to her being the person witnessed leaving the scene. Later on we found out that all the victims have been acquaintances of Ichihara's at one time or another. We've checked every open avenue, since we found the first two murders were connected. There's no sign of this woman anywhere. No leads."

"And that's why you're here." His flatmate concluded. "Well, since it's obviously _not_ our dearly departed Ms. Ichihara, you'll be wanting me to find out who's impersonating her. And solve three murders at the same time."

"That's the brunt of it, yes. Think you can do it?"

"Of course I can! You wouldn't be here if you thought otherwise!"

His companion moved from his view of Baker Street, beginning to bustle with the creep of the early morning rush, towards where they were seated.

"I'd like to visit the shop that she owned first," he continued, voice full of an underlying excitement, "So I can get a good grasp on her habits and other fun facts."

"Of course. It's being run by her ex-assistant now, but I'm sure he'll let us look around if I call ahead. I'm assuming you'll be following in a cab, since you obviously won't be coming in _my_ car?"

"Exactly. I'll just slip into something more presentable, and we'll meet you there in about an hour."

"Right," the inspector replied, getting up to leave, "See you then. Doctor." He nodded in farewell to both of them and descended the stairs with Mrs Hibiya. The front door closed audibly not long afterwards.

The study was quiet now, with just the two of them, but Fai's enthusiasm was almost audible.

"Right, Kuro-doctor, I'm going to fetch my coat, then we can get going!" He bounded out of the room and upstairs before Kurogane could say anything further.

He had that new-case-look to him, Kurogane noted as he went to don his own clothing, and it brightened his features considerably, making him appear much younger than his actual age. He really didn't want to say anything to the man at this point, for fear of ruining the great mood that he was in, because his mood swings were more than a little annoying. He was the only person he knew who could go from the height of a sugar rush to an absolute dismal depression in under an hour. His constant attempts to defeat his arch-nemesis, boredom, were aggravating at the best of times, and downright infuriating at others. Kurogane had lost count of the times when he'd been ordered around by the man to do something completely pointless, which the consulting detective could have done by himself in mere seconds.

His skills of deduction, however, were unparalleled; just last month he had helped crack an important theft case which had been baffling police for ages. Fai had taken one quick glance at the room where the item had been stored, and somehow deduced that the culprit was the cat.

After meeting his compatriot in the downstairs hallway, they left their residence and went out into the street. A brisk wind blew down the road as they stepped out into the morning, clutching at their coattails and sending fabric billowing towards the sky.

"It's coooold, Kuro-furnace!" The sleuth complained, grabbing his arm and clinging to it like a lifesaver.

"Get off me!" He snapped, shaking the stupid blonde from his arm. This was going to be a _long_ day, he could just tell, and the idiot had started early. At this rate, he'd have a headache before lunchtime.

They hailed a taxi as soon as one was spotted trawling for customers, somewhat unsuccessfully in the early morn, and climbed in the back of the black cab.

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><p>The drive was quicker than usual because of the thinned traffic; it was only a little after seven, and the city was not yet fully awake. As they pulled up in front of Ms. Ichihara's home and place of work, Kurogane couldn't help but let out an impressed whistle.<p>

Even amongst the great manses beside it, the house of Yuuko Ichihara stood out as an exceptional beauty. Surrounded by a small garden, with trees barring the view of any nosy neighbours, it stood as a contrast to the modern brick houses that crowded it with two storeys of wooden walls and green-tiled roofs. The fog hanging thick and low in the air surrounded the place and gave it an added air of mystery, fitting with its ex-mistress' occupation. Metal crescent moons were mounted where there might have been weather vanes, slicing into the haze, and upon the gateposts of the entrance they passed through to reach the imposing front door.

Inspector Doumeki stood waiting for them there, chatting idly to whom Kurogane assumed to be the new store owner, Kimihiro Watanuki. He seemed too skinny, like the sleuth, with dark hair and a striking pair of eyes framed by large lenses. His heterochromia was obvious even from afar, with one eye a piercing blue and the other solid amber, but it seemed to suit him, granting him an almost mysterious appearance enhanced by the eastern-inspired outfit draped over his frame. It was a fitting persona for a fortune teller's protégé to adopt, Kurogane supposed as he took in his appearance. The boy- for he was barely old enough to be running his own business- smiled in greeting as they approached and held open the heavy door, gesturing them inside.

The living room was a strange amalgamation of east meets west, a collection of gifts from all over the world that Yuuko's many customers had showered her with. The objects were rather mismatched, but they seemed to somehow fit together in a kind of organised chaos. Looking around at the quality of the artefacts, however, it was clear that Yuuko Ichihara had served many affluent people in need; the room was a veritable treasure trove, and that wasn't even counting the antiques that the shop dealt with. Those could be glimpsed through a door behind a plump crimson sofa, presumably the shop's storeroom.

"How can I help you?" the shop owner enquired, making himself comfortable on a chaise longue as they took the sofa, "I understand that there's been another one, though I don't know what else I can tell you." His tone suggested wisdom beyond his years, along with the smile upon his face. That was a knowing smile, Kurogane observed, and for a moment he could almost see the dead woman in her assistant.

"I know, Mr Watanuki," Doumeki replied, returning the smile, "Sorry to bother you again, but I've brought in a consultant to assist with the investigation. Let me introduce you to Mr Fai Fluorite and his compatriot Dr Kurogane Suwa."

Pleasantries were exchanged, after which Fai decided to quickly get down to business.

"Alright, I want to know anything you can tell me about Miss Ichihara; her character, habits, interesting things that distinguish her from everyone else. Then I would like to hear about the circumstances surrounding her death, if I may."

"Alright," Watanuki replied, hastily gathering his thoughts. "Yuuko was an... eccentric person. She would never wear the same outfit twice, and she was constantly on the go, getting energy from god-knows-where. I won't say that she was a selfish person, but she had a tendency to-" he paused, in the grip of an unpleasant memory, "order her employees around like slaves, setting completely impossible tasks and expecting them to be completed quicker than _anyonecouldeverdo_—" He took a deep breath. "Sorry, I got a little carried away there. Anyway, she liked a drink a _little more_ than the next person, but she could hold her booze like no one I'd ever met before."

He smiled, and it was something soft, tinged with a mixture of happiness and sadness.

"Despite that, she was always there when I needed her, along with some really good advice and an unnatural ability to tell how a situation was going to end. I guess that's why she was so popular, though. She had this habit of saying that everything was inevitable; thinking back on it, I'm pretty sure she knew she was going to die."

"What, you mean she was depressed _before_ the suicide?" Kurogane asked. "Why didn't you get her some help?"

He shook his head. "You misunderstand. What I meant was that she had this knowing smile, like there was a great secret that she knew and we didn't. And she kept saying things that didn't make sense until I looked back after she had gone. Things that hinted towards her not being around for much longer.

"The day I found her... it was just like any other day. I'd just come in to work for the afternoon, and there she was, sprawled out on the sofa, sleeping like always. I was going to yell at her for being lazy, as usual. _Except_—" His voice broke, and he fell silent, face struggling to conceal the torrent of anguish threatening to burst forth.

"Except she wasn't asleep," Fai finished for him, face expressionless.

"Yeah," he replied, and the grief was still evident in his expression. "They said it was a suicide, with pills, but I still don't believe it. She _wouldn't_ do that. There was no _reason_ to!"

"So you think she was murdered?" Fai asked, more to himself than to the upset shopkeeper. "Interesting. Do you mind if we take a look around her room? All of her things are still here, after all."

"Hmm?" he answered, a little far away, "Oh, yeah, of course. Sakura– her niece- hasn't had a chance to go through everything yet, so feel free. If it helps catch whoever is trying to ruin Yuuko's memory, you have permission to search the whole house top to bottom!"

"Thanks," Fai replied, dragging Kurogane out of the room by the wrist and leaving the inspector to comfort the antiques dealer, who was vehemently denying to the policeman (even though he hadn't said a word) that he _wasn't_ crying and that he should just go investigate somewhere _else_ thanks very much.

"I can walk by myself, idiot," Kurogane snapped, pulling his wrist from the blonde's grip as he closed the living room door behind them. "And would it _kill_ you to have a little more compassion for the guy?"

_Eccentric, ordering him around like a slave, high drinking capacity... sounds like we were in similar situations before the witch died. Except _I'm_ doing the slavery thing for free! _

"I bet you thought he was describing _me _for a minute there, eh, Kuro-disgruntled?"

_Damn his mind reading abilities! How does he even _do_ that?_

"Wellllll..." Fai continued, leaning up into his face.

The sleuth was too close for comfort, and that stupid grin made him want to punch him in his all-knowing nose. Up close, though, he could see the sparkling cerulean oceans that served for his irises all too well, and it caused him to reconsider. He couldn't remember how many times he'd stared, but it was the first time he'd seen them this close. He was struck by the notion that the blonde was fairly beautiful, despite his annoyances. To the average observer, they might seem like ordinary blue eyes, but to Kurogane, who lived and worked with this extraordinary man, they were eyes like no other. He was intrigued by the way light danced across them, especially when the blonde was in the midst of solving something tricky, because that was when the smiles really reached his eyes. There was a breathtaking depth as well, Kurogane noticed now, for the first time, betraying a vast intelligence far beyond what his appearance might suggest. He might've stared for a long while yet, until he tuned back in to the other part of his brain that demanded to know what the _hell_ he was doing.

Quickly pulling away, for he'd been gazing into the other man's eyes for more than a minute, he marched up the stairs, desperately hoping his face wasn't too much of an embarrassed picture (though the consulting detective was likely to know _exactly_ what embarrassing thoughts he'd been thinking, especially considering the grin that was still plastered over his face).

_I'm getting hell over this later..._

"Let's just go search the place, alright?" He finally grumbled, almost at the second floor landing.

"Right, Kuro-scrutiny!"

It took them a good hour and a half just to scratch the surface of the dead woman's life; Fai seemed to be getting things out of it, rummaging through every drawer in sight, but to Kurogane it was just sifting through pointless stuff. The last place they looked was the walk-in wardrobe, which was surprisingly large. The woman was a bit of a hoarder, particularly with clothes, and he was soon threatening the smaller man that if he had to look at another dress he'd fetch his pistol from Baker Street. Of course that just earned him more teasing from Fai and, losing his temper, he swung for the sleuth who, inevitably, ducked, resulting in Kurogane falling into another heap of dresses and coming up covered in frills and lace. A click from Fai's phone told him that his humiliation had now been forever enshrined in the mobile's photo gallery, and it would likely end up on the idiot detective's website all too soon.

"Now, now, Kuro-kinky, if you wanted to dress up, you should have said so! I wouldn't judge you!"

_MUST. NOT. KILL. IDIOT._

"Also you should probably not take your anger out on the dresses," he continued, as Kurogane stepped towards him, anger radiating, "because most of them are worth a lot more than you earn in a year."

Rationality kicked in, and Kurogane halted his murderous advance on the blonde man. He couldn't possibly afford to fix anything he damaged from killing the sleuth, let alone replace them, so he gave the man a reprieve, for now.

"Are we done here?" He asked instead, frowning.

"I think so- I've learned a lot about our deceased celebrity."

"I'm glad you have- all I know is that her clothing taste was far too elaborate and more expensive than I'd ever like to consider."

"Ah, but that's because you don't _observe_, Kuro-frills." He replied, poking the taller man in the cheek and earning himself a growl. "Right, I'm going to go downtown and see what I can find out from the latest crime scene. In the meantime, I want you to go speak to that niece of hers- see if you can get out anything about who might want to use her aunt's identity to kill people."

"Alright," Kurogane agreed too quickly, forgetting once again to assert his rights as a non-slave.

"Good," the blonde man smiled, heading for the stairs, "I'll text you when I'm done."

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><p><strong>Next up, Kuro-awkward interviews Ms Ichihara's niece, and Fai gets a lead or two...<br>**


	3. Two can play the detective game

Ms Ichihara's niece was a soft-spoken girl of sixteen, with wispy brown hair that had two strangely longer strands at the front. _Kids and their strange fashions_, Kurogane concluded. She was dwarfed by his large stature, so he sat down on the sofa as soon as he was shown into her place, a nice looking apartment in a high-rise in the west of the city. Feeling less intimidated, she offered tea and coffee, though Kurogane refused them both. Instead he took to studying the girl, trying to see her as Fai would.

_Small, about five-three, skinny, with large green eyes. Bet she gets hell from the boys. Lives by herself, by the looks of it. No living relatives, I suppose, not now that the witch is dead. It's kind of sad, actually, how she's ended up alone, but she doesn't seem fazed by any of it._

"Erm... _Doctor Suwa_, was it?" She asked, sitting at the other end of the three-seater.

"Call me Kurogane."

"Right!" She squeaked a little, face flashing full of fear for a second. "Um, so you wanted to talk about Aunt Yuuko, right?"

"Yeah," he replied, hand rubbing the back of his head at the awkward feeling in the air. He tried to put on a less scary face as he continued, "I need to know what she was like, any special habits, and also if she had anyone who might have disliked her."

Listening patiently, the girl nodded. "Yes. Well, Aunt Yuuko was a bit, er, _unusual_. She was always so full of energy!"

"Yeah, that Watanuki guy told us as much," Kurogane cut in, rolling his eyes a little.

"Right," she said, a little crestfallen. "I don't really know what I can tell you that he hasn't already. I want to help, but—"

Kurogane sighed. Talking to sensitive teenage girls was _not_ his forte. "You are helping," he reassured her, "Just tell me anything you can think of, even if it doesn't seem important. Like how the family situation was, maybe?"

"Okay! Well, she was my mother's younger sister. They grew up in that house, you know. They seemed to get along okay, when mum was alive. Yuuko seemed to be a gentle person overall; I remember one time, though, they had this big argument over something to do with grandma. It was pretty bad, and they didn't talk to each other for about a month. I overheard them once, I was only seven, but I remember; Yuuko mentioned something about "that child" and how it "should never have been born". My mother disagreed with the same tone. It was scary, actually- I'd never seen them that way before, and it really stuck in my mind.

"I thought they were talking about me," She confessed, eyes watering a little, "But when they were speaking again, Aunt Yuuko came up to me and hugged me like always, asking how her "cute niece" had been. In my childish thoughts I figured she'd forgiven me for whatever it was I'd done, and that was that. Now that I look back, I'm pretty sure they were talking about someone else."

_Now that's interesting. The witch had a grudge against someone. I wonder if they felt the same way?_

"That's good, kid." Kurogane said, feeling like he was way out of his depth. Hopefully he could avoid making the girl cry, which would make it a successful visit, in his opinion. Satisfied that he at least had something to mention to his blonde flatmate later, he decided to press on whether she knew of any potential enemies of the witch, to which she responded with an apology that she couldn't help again.

"I feel like I'm not doing my part to catch this impersonator," she admitted, "but I just don't know much about my Aunt's personal life! I saw her every couple of weeks, when she came to check up on me. She's the one that's paying for this," she gestured at her apartment, "though I refused at first. I wanted to support myself, not rely on anyone. We came to the compromise that I would work to pay for everything else, whilst she handled the cost for this. Even now, her money is still directed by her will to cover my rent every month. She's even left me most of her stuff when I turn twenty one! I owe so much to her, and I never really got the chance to thank her properly!"

She burst into tears at this, trying to suppress her sobs and failing, hiding her face behind her hands. As her shoulders shook, Kurogane was desperately trying to work out what he should do. _Running away is too cowardly, right? But I have no idea what the hell I'm supposed to do with a crying sixteen year old!_ He reached out a hand awkwardly, but withdrew it quickly. He just wasn't the consoling type.

"Look, little miss," he said loudly, to draw her attention away from her sorrow. She looked up at him with wide eyes of jade, surprised. "The way I see it is that your aunt loved you a lot. It seems to me like you were a daughter to her, even more so once you lost your mum. I'm sure your happiness was more than enough thanks for her. So don't feel like you have to, er, regret anything..."

He broke off at the change in the girl's expression, which had gone from grief-stricken to awestruck, quickly moving on to a dazzling smile. "Thank you, Mr Kurogane," she said earnestly, wiping her face with the backs of her hands.

"I didn't really do anything," Kurogane mumbled, looking away, feeling something of an embarrassed flush creep into his cheeks. Sakura only smiled more widely in reply.

He suddenly recalled something Doumeki had told him before he'd left the witch's place, and turned back to the girl so quickly he made her flinch. "It was you who told the police about the victims all knowing Yuuko, right?"

"Yeah," she answered, "I met them all at one time or another. They didn't really know each other, but they came to parties that Aunt Yuuko held, and she sent them birthday gifts, so they must have been fairly good friends."

"Was there anything special about those three in particular?" He badgered, thinking he might be on to something.

"Erm, I don't think so. Yuuko had a lot of good friends."

"Alright, that's fine. Just thought I'd ask. Is there anyone else that really knew Yuuko, someone I could go talk to?"

The girl thought for a long few minutes, before coming up with an answer. "Ah! There's Kakei! That's Kakei Green- he was Aunt Yuuko's business partner back when she first started dealing antiques; they haven't seen each other in years, but I'm pretty sure they were still in contact up until January. The police haven't talked to him yet because he's so busy, and they didn't consider him an important person, but I'll bet he can tell you loads about what she was like!"

_Another lead! Take that, you stupid sleuth- two can play the detective game!_

His phone vibrated as a sign that their time was up. "I think that's everything, thanks kid," Kurogane said, standing to leave. He shook the tiny girl's hand, desperately hoping that he didn't break any of the fragile digits, and went for the door.

Pausing at the handle, he uttered some final advice. "You know, it's not good to bottle up all that grief. You should talk to someone, a person who's willing to listen without interruption. Do you have someone like that?"

Her eyes lit up when he asked, and he immediately knew she would be alright. He recognised that look immediately; he had seen it every day when his mother had kissed his father and told him to have a good day at work. _Whoever has her is very blessed_, he thought, then scolded himself immediately for thinking something so sappy. He left the apartment, thumb punching in the first lines of a reply to his annoyance of a partner.

* * *

><p>He met up with his least favourite flatmate outside of a different block of flats, more dishevelled than the ones he had visited a couple of hours before. Where Sakura's place had been enclosed in a cushy-looking building, the flats here were from the industrious post-war era, when hastily-built tower blocks rose from the ashes of the blitz, and had aged terribly. Each floor corridor was open to the elements on one side, concrete railings safeguarding from a vertical drop. The flats lined up along the innermost wall, front doors dishevelled and uninviting.<p>

_The whole place is uninviting_, Kurogane concluded, _but maybe we can dig some answers out of this dump. Now I just have to wait for—_

As soon as the thought formed he appeared as if by magic, stepping out of a black cab that sidled to a halt at the kerb next to him. It was clear just from a glance that the blonde was still high on whatever fumes came off of a series of unsolved murders, as he greeted Kurogane with a huge grin.

_Speak of the devil..._

"Hi, Kuro-doctooor~!" The blonde vexation called out in a singsong voice. "Did you find out anything exciting?"

"You mean apart from leading us to this place?"

"Oh, I was already going to head here at some point!"

_Of _course_ you were. Why did I even think I could one-up this idiot?_

"And _why_ would that be?" He asked tiredly as they entered and started up the stairwell for the fifth floor. He recounted his whole meeting with Sakura for the first three flights. "The kid said it herself, Yuuko had a lot of friends. Were you just going to visit them all?"

"Oh no, Kuro-silly, it was obvious once I looked at the crime scene. In the victim's possessions there was a card with this man's details on it. Seems he went into pharmaceuticals after he left the antiques business."

"So? How did you think that was a lead?"

"Well, I noticed that the number on the card was handwritten- and not in the victim's hand- which means that they most likely had actual contact at some point. It's in good condition, which means it wasn't that long ago that they met, and yet he went to the trouble of keeping it in his wallet, even when he had no other cards besides his bank card in there. That tells me he thinks the person is important. That, and the fact that I found a piece of paper with the same number in one of Yuuko's bedroom drawers (since she keeps all her business papers downstairs) tells me that he is a common integer linking the two. So here we are!"

_Here we are indeed. Hopefully we can get some more information out of this guy, since he and the witch were such long standing friends..._

They were one flight from the fifth floor landing when there was a slamming sound from above, followed by a yell, and accompanied by a sinking feeling in Kurogane's stomach. Glancing quickly at each other, they hurtled up the last few stairs, turning right into the corridor. The door of the room they were visiting was wide open, as they'd feared, and lying sprawled in the doorway was a portly man who appeared to be getting on a bit in years. Even without his friend's deductive powers, he could deduce that the man had left his flat next door (which was also open) and found a murderer leaving the scene of her crime. She'd gotten the better of him, however, and was currently fleeing away from them, towards the other end of the landing, where a fire escape granted her a getaway.

"Go and check the room! I'll try and catch her!" the blonde yelled, tearing down the corridor after his quarry.

Kurogane did as he was told without complaint this time, if only for the person who might still be alive inside. Rushing past the old guy (_fat probably cushioned his fall_) into the apartment, he was immediately struck by the sight of blood, stark crimson against the pale carpet, which pooled around the body sprawled out on the floor.

It was no good, he knew that immediately. The attacker had struck true with only one attempt, piercing through the back of the man to the heart. The eye that he could see was open, with a faraway gaze that could only mean that he had already gone. Just to be sure, he checked for a pulse, but there was nothing but the stillness of death.

Kakei Green was going to be of no help to them now.

* * *

><p>Fai stumbled on the bottom step as he thundered after Yuuko Ichihara's impersonator, almost landing on his face, but was prevented from suffering the humiliation as his impeccable balance took care of the problem. Bursting out of the door at the bottom (<em>which was wedged open by some desperate smoker some time earlier, judging from the cigarette butts scattered on the ground<em>) he quickly scanned his surroundings for the woman, eyes clocking on a trail of long black hair streaming away some 100 yards ahead. She was sprinting down a narrow road that ran towards four big high-rises, fairly speedy for someone in two inch heels. He followed.

_She's fast, but I'm faster. Still, I could have done with Kuro-dash for this part..._

Fai had to catch her before she decided to go into one of the other blocks of flats. If she did that, it was very likely that he'd lose her- there were just too many places to hide. He didn't for one minute think that half of the residents in this area would be happy to help a police investigation, even if he wasn't _actually_ with the police. Hell, she might even have friends here willing to help her escape.

His muscles were starting to burn a little now, but he ignored the pain, focusing on the figure that had just reached the gap between the first two tower blocks. He was gaining, little by little, close enough now to see the intricate patterns of black lace embroidered on the dark coat she wore. Just another few metres and he would have her! He reached out a hand, ready to grab her by the shoulder—

His reflexes reacted much quicker than his brain to the knife, twisting his body out of the path leading somewhere between certain death and screwed depth perception, which thankfully only severed a few hairs as it whistled past his face. The dodge took him crashing down inelegantly to the ground, all sprawling arms and legs, where he wasted precious seconds gathering his body from the tarmac before springing up again ready to face his prey. All that greeted him, however, was an empty road, shadowed all too happily by an accompanying feeling of failure.

_Damn... guess I'd better go and look around the crime scene, though I doubt there'll be much else I can learn. This chase, however, taught me a fair bit about our femme fatale. I'll be seeing you soon, I expect. And you won't see me coming until it's much too late..._

Grabbing the knife from where it lay in the shadow of a big industrial bin, London's greatest (and only) consulting detective returned to his companion, whistling a merry tune as he walked.

* * *

><p><strong>So what has Fai learned? And will Kurogane be able to put up with him long enough to find out, or will he commit a murder of his own? Find out next week... and please review, of course! :D<br>**


	4. A trip to the supermarket

"So what's your medical analysis on our victim, Kuro-science?"

"Same as the other three." _Ignore the stupid nickname... _"Stabbed through the back with one precise motion, piercing the heart. Death was pretty much instantaneous." He reclined back against the wall, scratching his head. "It makes sense that she'd kill them from behind, seeing as how there was a risk of them overpowering her if it was a frontal assault. Still, it's impressive that she had the strength to do this."

"Mmm," the consulting detective offered as a vague agreement, though he seemed to be somewhere else entirely. He had that distant look in his eyes, like he was processing every bit of data obtained since the morning, checking and rechecking the facts, lining up the truth piece by piece. His fingers toyed with the ten inch long knife that he'd returned with, twirling it around so that it caught the light and scattered sunbeams into Kurogane's eyes. He could tolerate a lot from the sleuth, all his subtle annoyances, but after a few minutes of this he was ready to snap. Marching over before he really lost his cool, he snatched the deadly weapon from the blonde's hands and took it back across the corridor, resuming his position against the wall.

They were currently waiting outside of the late Kakei Green's flat, whilst forensics rummaged around the crime scene, for Inspector Doumeki to come and join them. As soon as the man had heard about the murder, he called with strict instructions not to leave until he got there, and for Kurogane to "_make sure that carefree consultant doesn't move an inch_"- his analysis was required, as always, and he couldn't do that if he was off "_gallivanting across the city_". Whilst he leant against the inside wall, his carefree frustration of a partner was opposite him, elbows now resting on the high concrete railing behind him. The sun was beginning to dip low in the sky, invading blue with broad swathes of red and yellow. If the inspector didn't get here soon, there was no way that he'd be able to keep the smaller man from taking off; Fai D. Fluorite was not a man to wait around idly when there was a puzzle to be solved.

"So are you going to tell me why you have this, or do I have to hand it to the SOCOs?"

His question (_my desperate stalling for time, you mean_) managed to get blue eyes to meet his own, though the distraction was still evident. The setting sun lit up his figure from behind, turning the edges of the blonde hair into a fiery golden aura, and for a moment Kurogane could have believed that the man standing before him was some sort of supernatural entity, come down to earth to bestow knowledge upon the ignorant. He was almost beautiful in his cold radiance, as the corners of his lips turned up into a small smile, though he gave no answer.

Even though they were two paces away from each other it seemed there was a vast distance between them, a gaping abyss of understanding that he had no hope of crossing. That faraway look in his eyes lingered frustratingly, and suddenly without even really considering what he was doing he was stepping towards the smaller man, reaching a hand out to cup the unmarred face. The skin under his palm was smooth, as his fingers brushed lightly over the sleuth's cheekbone, and those eyes came out of a deductive trance and flashed up to lock their gazes.

"Sorry, Kuro-doctor, I was miles away. What, did you have a question, or did you just want to stare lovingly into my eyes again?"

The spell, or whatever crazy thing had caused Kurogane to act this way, was broken instantaneously, and he backed up in what he thought was a calm but rapid manner. To Fai, and to any other passing observer, it looked a lot like he had leapt back in fright. The colour creeping into his cheeks would be firmly denied by Kurogane later, but it was definitely there as the taller man hastily gathered his thoughts and stuttered a repetition of his earlier question.

"Do you _reeeeaaaally_ want to know?" The blonde asked, smirking, moving closer to the flustered doctor.

Kurogane sighed, composure mostly regained. "Yes. Of course I want to know, idiot sleuth, now quit with the games and tell me!"

"But it's a _se_-_cret_!"

Resisting the urge to strangle the other man for the umpteenth time today, he gritted his teeth and waited for a better answer. He knew better than to respond to the teasing, and chasing the blonde around with a knife was probably not a good idea with the police on the other side of the door to his left.

"She threw it at me," the smaller man finally answered, fingering his hair where one of the haphazard strands had been shortened by an inch. "I almost got her, too. She was pretty fast, for someone in heels. '_Why would she wear such impractical shoes for a murder?_'I hear you think, and indeed, it does seem strange... though if you consider that our criminal was smaller than Yuuko Ichihara, enough that she thought it might affect witness testimonies, then it makes perfect sense.

"I learned a great deal from that little chase, Kuro-inquisitive, including the fact that the woman we're looking for had a childhood injury. Maybe she broke her leg, snapped a tendon or something, but it never fully healed, meaning that she favours her right leg over her left. It makes her run a little lopsided, though it wouldn't be something anyone would pick up unless they were really watching her."

_I won't deny that I'm impressed once again by his observational skills._

"Can I get your professional opinion on something?" the blonde consultant enquired.

Kurogane nodded in the affirmative.

"We've been on enough cases now for you to start picking up stuff about the bodies that tell you more about the details of the death. So, I want to know: what does the angle of the wound tell you about how it was done?"

"You mean apart from the obvious 'it was a big knife'?" He asked in reply, and his partner smiled expectantly. "Well, it didn't go in straight, which suggests that she only used one hand to do it, and she had to have held it with her fist upright, like this," the doctor demonstrated with the knife, holding it so that his thumb was nearest to the blunt end of the handle. "That's what the downward angle of the wound indicated, anyway."

"_And_...?" The blonde pressed him, eyes eager.

"As well as angling down, the wound also leans slightly to the left, which means that she used her right hand to do it."

"Exactly, it's brilliant!" Fai replied.

"Eh? Brilliant?"

"Yeah," Fai said, knowing smile painted across his face. _Withholding information from me, I see. Suppose I'll find out what's going on after he's put me in the middle of something dangerous. Again._

"Alright, Kuro-useful, we're leaving. I need you to come with me to pick up some bread and milk; your strong arms can help me carry it home!"

"What? We're leaving a crime scene because you want to go _shopping_? Doumeki isn't going to like that, _and_ _since when have I become your personal packhorse_?"

"The bread is almost gone, and the milk smelled a bit dodgy this morning," Fai continued, completely ignoring him, "-you don't want to put gone-off milk in your coffee, right? And it's not like you have anything better to do this evening, so it's all right!"

_Screw the police, I'll do it so quick they won't even notice..._

"Besides, it sort of has something to do with the case, so..." The blonde trailed off, lips curving into the beginnings of a smile. _Damn that bastard, he knows I want to solve this thing!_ Kurogane grimaced and lowered the knife, which had been making its way slowly towards his compatriot's body.

"Alright, idiot sleuth, what could a supermarket possibly have to do with our case?"

"Ah, Kuro-curious, if I tell you we're getting the items from a _particular_ supermarket, whose location I will disclose shortly, then it has _everything_ to do with our case."

"The more you drag this out, the more holes I imagine I'll shortly be giving you."

"Fine, Kuro-impatient, no need to get violent! What if I told you that a certain person's niece worked at that supermarket, and that I'd like to go check on her?"

"You want to visit the princess at work? That's _it_?" Somehow that seemed suspicious. _Really suspicious_. When Fai took them on some seemingly meaningless errand it usually ended in serious consequences down the line. Like that time he had gained an ASBO...

"That's it, Kuro-qualm!" _Oh god, that was a full beam of a smile_. This was definitely a lot more than just a simple trip to check on the girl, he decided, though he couldn't see any immediate danger from doing so. He'd go along with it, for now. The sleuth's sudden desire to visit the princess was bewildering at best, but Kurogane knew that there was some sort of great motive behind it, a deduction that his flatmate was holding close to his chest. That usually meant that he hadn't quite ironed out the details yet, or he was playing it close to his chest because his pieces weren't yet in position. _Most likely the latter_, he thought bitterly, wondering if he ranked any higher than a pawn in his flatmate's eyes.

Gathering his cynicism he moved, quickly descending the stairs before anyone came to check on them, followed closely by the blonde.

"And _do_ try not to have any arguments with inanimate checkout machines this time, Kuro-inept; you're trying to maintain an essence of normality!" the blonde added, dashing away to find a cab before Kurogane could deliver a response.

_Keep going, sleuth, and I'll introduce your bread and milk to that foul stuff in the test tubes you seem to love so much..._

Catching up with his eternal annoyance of a flatmate, Kurogane climbed into the cab and headed towards his own square in the sleuth's great game.

* * *

><p>The supermarket looked like every other one he'd ever been to, albeit a slightly more compact version: a space filled with rows of shelving, whitewashed walls and the signature colours of the store popping up here and there on signs, labels and the employee uniforms.<p>

"Welcome to the store! Do you need some help today, sir?" A girl asked an elderly gentleman, long curly pigtails bouncing around. Kurogane quickly dodged around as she was occupied with another customer, completely not in the mood for any more unrestrained energy coming his way; it was enough to deal with the bundle of annoyance beside him.

It was bustling at this time of day, people milling around them with trolleys and hand baskets, some in more of a rush than others. Signs hung above each aisle, pointing customers towards each area of product; it was these he followed swiftly towards the two things he'd been ordered to buy, the blonde idiot trailing behind, neck craning to observe every possible detail his eyes could drink in. One of the female employees stacking tins onto a shelf watched Fai as they passed, her short messy locks failing to hide her longing stare, despite her efforts to appear nonchalant.

_You can have him if you like. I'd stop losing years off of my life to stress, that's for certain..._

Acquiring the needed items, the smaller man making no offer to carry either one, he made his way towards the eight tills lined up at the end of the shop. He examined each one in turn, watching the endless motion as items raced towards the cashier on conveyor belts, the air filled with a cacophony of beeps and the occasional tutting as someone got away with sneaking eleven items into the 'ten items or less' queue.

"Alright, Kuro-basket, let's just stand here for a little while. Try to look like you're searching for the least busy till."

"Stop ordering me around!" Kurogane snapped back, a little louder than intended. Some passing shoppers looked a bit intimidated, which wasn't surprising given the doctor's height and build, but of course they didn't say anything. He almost thought he heard a tut from somewhere, but the offending person evidently didn't want to put themselves in the firing line. Even the employees seemed reluctant to protest; a redhead skittered around the corner of an aisle and out of sight as his eyes passed over her unintentionally.

He was getting more and more annoyed with the blonde the more that they stood still. It had to have been more than two minutes now; looking for the till with the shortest queue certainly didn't take that much of a decision period. _We're going to start looking like suspicious weirdoes soon,_ he thought to himself, _and then the idiot will say something that makes me look even worse, which will probably end up with me somehow appearing in court again for another crime I didn't commit_...

"What the hell are we waiting here for, anyway?" He grumbled, patience wearing thinner by the second.

"Ah, I think she's here now." His partner replied, glancing over his shoulder briefly.

"Mr. Kurogane?"

He turned at the sound of the familiar timid tone, his gaze directed down at the girl standing before him. The uniform she wore may have been a simple shirt and trousers affair, but somehow it seemed to add an air of maturity that he hadn't seen earlier. Maybe it was just because she was in work mode at the moment, but there was something in those emerald eyes, a glimpse of the emerging adult in the girl.

Her strange brown hair fluttered around her face as she jumped, the adult image was lost, and Kurogane had to remember to turn down the scary in his expression. He didn't react well in general to people approaching him from his blind spot; too many adventures with his idiot of a flatmate had taught him to be wary of being assaulted at any moment. It was good for her that she'd spoken rather than touching him to get his attention, since she'd probably be pinned up against the international cheeses section next to them by now if she hadn't.

"Hey, kid, how're things?" was the only was he could think to start the conversation, despite having only seen her a few hours before.

"Erm, okay, I suppose. What are you doing here?" She glanced at the blonde on his left, who was beaming that ridiculous smile down at her.

"Besides the obvious, we came to update you on the case. This is my idio— er, partner, I suppose."

"Fai D. Fluorite at your service," he addressed the girl, bowing a little as he did so. "Well, Kuro-doc told me that you were cute, but I never expected such a pretty young lady!"

She flushed bright red, though not quite as red as the dark-haired doctor, who went the colour of a beetroot whilst vehemently denying any such remark. "I did _not_ say she was cute!" He paled, seeing the girl's face fall. "Not that you _aren't _cute, it's just that I- I didn't say it and I just- ah, _goddamn it_..."

"Weak to women as always, Kuro-whipped!" The blonde chirped, dodging the reply swipe to his head.

If Sakura was shocked at this display, it didn't show on her face. Instead she giggled a little, smile dazzling one passing teenager enough that he almost crashed into a promotional stand for a new lipstick range. _Yeah, definitely gets hell from the boys._ Quickly changing the subject before the sleuth could make him the subject of any more teasing, he moved onto their reason for coming. "So the update on the case we mentioned," he began, silencing the continuing snicker of the blonde moron.

Her eyes lit up a little at this. "You've found something?"

"Yeah, we're definitely on to whoever is doing this. We'll be closing in on them very soon, I expect."

"That's great to hear," Sakura smiled sweetly, relief flooding her features.

"Are you doing alright here, at your work, I mean?" Kurogane quickly asked, before she could move the topic towards the wellbeing of Kakei Green. He didn't want to add another burden to her life just yet, so finding out about his demise could wait just a little longer, at least until they'd really cracked the thing.

"Yes, there are some really nice people here," she replied, warmth creeping into her expression. "I have some great friends here, and they always make sure I'm alright. Thanks for worrying about me, Mr. Kurogane. And you too, Mr. Fai." The blonde sleuth nodded in acceptance, though he wasn't really concentrating on the conversation.

"Good to know, kid." Kurogane replied, mouth turning up into the best he could do as a smile.

"Oooh, Kuro-awkward, there's a good till over there! Let's go pay for these while it's not too busy." His flailing left arm gestured at the checkout manned by a black-haired girl whose last customer was punching in their PIN as he spoke. He grinned at Sakura with the relish of one close to the answers. "We'll contact you again when we have our woman- you shouldn't have to wait too long."

"Yeah," she nodded, small smile still favourably painted on her face. "Thank you both!"

"Mm," Kurogane acknowledged, leaving the girl to go about her business. Shopping for two things, a task made so much more difficult than it should have been by the antics of his infuriating flatmate, was proving to be even more stressful than he'd first imagined. Queuing up at the chosen till he placed his two items on the conveyor, watching as they moved gradually towards the checkout girl. Next time, he was going to have to get the stupid sleuth to do his own shopping; he could use a carrier bag like the rest of society. A threat not to buy any alcohol during his "_I'm not going outside_" episodes might just do the trick.

His purchases (_because even though we're sharing the food, it's obviously _me_ that's going to be paying for them_) beeped across the scanner in succession, sliding down the short slope on the other side to the bagging area, where the sleuth was being surprisingly helpful by preparing to put the food in a bag. His smile as he did so showed that whilst he was willing to do that, Kurogane was _definitely_ still going to be carrying them home, but he supposed small actions like this were to be appreciated with a chronic hindrance like Fai. His enthusiastic assistance almost turned into disaster, however, when the condensation on the container caused him to fumble the four pints of milk as he hoisted it upwards. The cashier looked alarmed and tried to help save it, since it was heading towards her in quite an alarming (and bulky) manner, but he managed to loop his fingers around the plastic handle at the last moment, saving them both from milky doom.

Apologising profusely Kurogane quickly paid, grabbed the shopping in one hand and the collar of the sleuth in the other, and marched out of the shop as fast as his long legs could carry him, a trail of speed-related nicknames pursuing him.

* * *

><p><strong>So we're getting a lot closer to our culprit now- I'd love to hear your theories so far (if you've already read it on lj, it's cheating ;D)! More next week, and please don't forget to press the shiny review button!<br>**


	5. The penny drops

"Are you going to explain to me now just why we went to see the princess? I know that look; there's no way we went there just to update her on the case. You would have texted her if it was that simple." Kurogane said, flopping exhaustedly into an armchair.

"Ah, your powers of deduction are increasing by the day, Kuro-gumshoe!" the blonde replied, pride swelling in his voice as he took the opposite chair. They were back at their flat after what seemed like an eternity, but had in actuality been little over half a day. _Longest day of my life with this idiot_, Kurogane added mentally, though was too tired to snap at the man in question. He waited patiently for his partner to finally elaborate on his grand theory, since the embers he had noticed glowing all day had turned into a raging inferno by the time they stepped out of the taxi onto Baker Street. There was no doubt now; he had definitely solved it.

"Alright, then, since you've been such a great help to me today, I suppose I could tell you everything that I've deduced, and why that was the most important trip to the supermarket that you've ever made...

"First of all, however, I should reveal the real reason for the murders; the motive hidden behind the motive, if you want."

_Run that by me again... motive behind motive? Alright brain, it's one of those times where you can't slack off. Just try and follow as best you can, nod the head in the right places, and it'll all make sense eventually. Hopefully._

"So I mulled it over in my head, and it _really_ doesn't make sense. The murders are too obvious. If you want to get rid of some people, you usually do it quietly, so as not to get caught. By using the signature, the murderer drew attention to the fact that all three killings were by the same person- they _wanted_ them noticed. Usually when there's a signature and a blatant call for attention, it's a typical serial killing sequence, but this is far from typical. Those tend to involve victims who are complete strangers to each other, but all of our victims here had a connection with a single woman. Making Yuuko look like a criminal can't be the real motive of the killer; sure, dressing up as her makes her look a bit bad, but she's not going to care about her reputation now she's dead, is she? So I looked at it from another angle: what if this is all just a clever piece of misdirection?

Our murderer dresses up as Yuuko Ichihara, kills some people she used to know, and everyone thinks that there's some sort of grudge against anyone who knew her well enough- predicting the next victim is more or less impossible, given the amount of friends the woman had. So if the next victim happens to be a certain person, no one will bat an eyelid. It will just be another murder, indistinguishable from those preceding it. But what if that one murder is the _only one_ that our culprit wanted to carry out, but needed to do so in a way that wouldn't point towards their hidden motive?"

"So what, they killed a load of people just to make sure that they didn't get caught for one murder? Like a murder-needle in a haystack of other murders? That's _insane_!"

"You might say that, but it is also very clever of our young lady. That is, it would be if they didn't have me on the case. I daresay she would have gotten away with it otherwise."

"So what's the murder? The actual one, and the motive?"

"Ah, this is where it gets surprisingly easy! Human nature is so startling in its simplicity sometimes, and this crime is no different. Consider our imposter's choice of charade: one Yuuko Ichihara. She definitely holds some sort of grudge against her, enough to dress up and go out killing people as her; so what is it about her that would drive someone to kill? Since she is recently deceased, there's really only one obvious option."

"Her money."

"Exactly, Kuro-smarty! Yuuko's fortune is totalled in the millions; people have killed for a lot less than that. Now that she's dead, her fortune is up for grabs, and I'm sure that's why these murders began."

"You say they're after the witch's fortune?" Kurogane said slowly, heavy foreboding settling in his stomach, "But her fortune is going to Sakura..."

The penny dropped with startling clarity. _God damn it..._

"She's the real target." He said, a sinking feeling settling in his stomach. "It's all to make sure people just think they're killing of people who knew Yuuko, so they don't look into who would want the money."

"That's precisely right."

Shock realisation hit him like a brick, and he shot to his feet. "What the hell are we doing sitting here, then? We should be warning the princess to get the hell out of the city!"

"Calm down, Kuro-nerves..."

A further suspicion floated into his brain, and suddenly he understood the reason for their earlier diversion. He surveyed the man sitting before him, steely accusation in his eyes. "They were there, weren't they? In the supermarket. You made me say all that stuff to her because we're using her as _bait_."

Fai let a small knowing smile creep into his expression, and Kurogane snapped.

"What the _hell_, sleuth?" He snapped, grabbing the smaller man by his scarf and yanking him to his feet. "There's a girl in danger, and she doesn't even know it! I thought even you had more sense than that, _idiot detective_!"

Fai faced him, unmoving, face blank, until Kurogane's sudden burst of rage subsided. He placed a hand on top of the one gripping his scarf, fingers dancing over the larger man's knuckles. "She doesn't finish work until after seven thirty. She'll be fine until a little after then."

Kurogane glanced over at the clock on the mantelpiece. Just after a quarter to seven, the roman numerals informed him. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes." He had the decency to look a little ashamed. "It was the only sure way to get our killer."

The hand lightly choking Fai released his scarf, and he slumped back into his chair, looking a lot more relaxed than the man opposite him. His black haired companion ran his fingers through his hair awkwardly, itching to go immediately to the girl's rescue, but unable to. He fidgeted a little, then met the blonde's gaze once again, crimson eyes urging him to continue.

"I'd actually like to continue my story at our cute little girl's house," the consulting detective declared, stretching his arms high into the air and yawning. "We'll head out soon; we can't have our dastardly killer beating us to it, can we?"

* * *

><p>"I don't understand," Sakura said, eyes wide with fear, "You're saying that they're really after <em>me<em>?"

They had arrived at Sakura's flat a little after seven twenty, waiting outside the door until the girl arrived to greet them. Fai had had the sense to send a text ahead of their arrival, so that they wouldn't scare the girl half to death when she returned home to see two shadowy figures loitering near her apartment door. The corridor was poorly lit at night, and had lost all of the warmth it has seemed to have the first time Kurogane had visited. Apologising that they would explain momentarily, Fai demanded the keys from the poor girl and insisted they check the apartment before she entered. Of course '_they_' meant '_Kurogane_', who had been volunteered instantly by his smaller companion to search thoroughly for any knife-wielding women hiding in the shadows. He'd brought his gun, his safety blanket, safely stashed in his waistband, but thankfully he didn't have to point it at anything more threatening than a coat rack. After declaring the flat safe of all murderous ghosts, they entered and settled on the familiar sofa, Fai taking the plush-looking armchair across from them so that he could be the centre of their attention.

"I'm afraid so," Fai said, having explained the general situation, including the truth of Kakei's fate. "Are you alright for me to continue, or would you like some tea or something? I know that's supposed to calm people down and whatnot. Kuro-useful, if you'd be so kind..."

_I'm _not_ your servant, moron! Go make it yourself if you're so concerned!_

"No, no it's fine. Please, go on." The girl reassured them, trying to look as if she wasn't terrified that a crazy woman dressed like her aunt was going to burst through the door at any minute.

"So, as our doctor here deduced, we actually came to visit you at work earlier for a reason. The true purpose of that visit, apart from checking on your wellbeing, of course, was to set a trap. I suspected for a little while before that, as soon as I worked out the true aim of the killer, that our imposter was close to their intended victim. They'd need to be to know the habits and routines of their target, to know when she'd be alone; since work is where she spends most of her time outside of her apartment, I figured that it was here that our killer lurked."

"It's someone I work with? But, they're all so nice to me!"

"Precisely, Sakura. And what better way to get to know you than by getting up close and befriending you?"

She looked horrified at this, and Kurogane almost snapped at Fai to stop, but it was important that they got to the bottom of this, so he put a reassuring hand on the princess' shoulder. She looked up at him, no longer hiding the fear, and he nodded at her. His determination must have shown, because she nodded in return, and apologised to Fai, asking him to please continue. He smiled almost like he empathised with the girl, something Kurogane rarely saw, and did as she bid.

"To set the trap, I made sure to place us all in the best place to be overheard, near the tills. Then we just had to wait until our third player came along. I made sure that everyone within ten square miles had their attention on us- you _really_ need to tone it down a bit, Kuro-spectacle- then we began to recite the lines in our little play. You mention the case to Sakura and imply we're one step away from catching the culprit. In the meantime I covertly look around for someone standing out, someone who shows a little more interest than the rest in our meeting, someone looking a little panicked, signs like that pointing me towards our target. My face is well known in the criminal circuit, after all, so even if they couldn't hear exactly what we were saying, my face and Sakura's expression that things are going well would be enough to rattle the killer. If I'm onto you, you know it's only a matter of time, and it was particularly bad in this situation because they hadn't gotten round to killing their true target yet."

"So they'd panic," Kurogane replied, more pieces falling into place. "Maybe even to the point where they'd want to get it over and done with quickly, despite not having planned ahead."

"So they could be coming _now_?" Sakura whispered, shivering a little.

"I'm almost certain she'll be here very soon," Fai added, smiling. "But there's no need to fret. Kuro-valiant will protect you from harm!"

"Mm," Kurogane agreed, adding his own small smirk to the mix. "If I get the opportunity to take down someone who's already killed four people, I think being pushed around all day by a hyperactive idiot might just have been worth it."

"You say 'she', Mr. Fai, but you haven't told me which one of my supposed friends is coming tonight to kill me." Her voice was colder now, green eyes shining with resigned determination. She'd set aside all of her fear in favour of trusting the two men before her, the emerging adult attempting to regain control of her emotions.

"When I was examining the employees, there were many who were interested to see who Sakura was talking to, but there was only one person staring who looked like she wanted to escape. It was only for a few seconds, a look of panic crossing over her face, but such tiny things never escape my notice. In fact, after we left, she probably asked you about what we'd said, just to be sure. And she'll have a very slight limp- you've probably been around her enough to notice it by now."

Kurogane could see the realisation hit the girl like a sledgehammer. There was even an accompanying gasp, as she brought shaking hands up to cover her mouth.

"B-But it can't be... n-not... she was just curious about who I'd been talking to..." she spoke into her palms, voice barely above a whisper. "But the look on her face when I told her... it all makes sense, _oh god_..." There were tears in her eyes now, but she defiantly held them back.

_Feel free to tell me any time now._

"My suspicions were pretty much confirmed by then, but I really like to be thorough. So I added another level to my trap, on a whim, just to make sure." He turned to Kurogane. "Do you remember what I asked you back outside of Kakei's place?"

He thought back, replaying their (mostly one-sided) conversation in his head. "You asked me about how I thought the stabbing was done, and I told you it was a right-handed person. I did think it was a little odd that you were asking me that out of the blue."

Fai smiled again. "It was important because it contradicted something I had seen for myself. Our imposter killer made sure to kill all of her victims in the same way, using the same hand, the right one, to do the deed. I should point out that Yuuko is right-handed, so it fits with the persona. The interesting thing appeared when I chased after our clever little killer. I got close enough that I could have grabbed her, almost had her as well, when she really panicked. She threw the only thing she had available- a knife- and used my evasive manoeuvre as an escape opportunity. It wasn't the murder weapon, because there was no trace of blood on it, but it did provide me with one fact. When she panicked, all pretence was lost, and she threw the knife at me with her dominant hand. Her left hand."

"She's left handed? But why go to the extent of hiding it?"

"Well, there's statistically a much smaller percentage of people who are left-handed, so it narrowed down our pool of suspects, I suppose. The point is that she revealed a key fact about herself, which helped me confirm her identity."

And the last puzzle piece appeared, revealing the picture as a whole. "We got served by that girl on purpose. And the milk..."

"Precisely. I noticed that she was making a great effort to appear right-handed when she scanned our two items, as a result of our encounter, and I made sure not to alert her to the fact I knew who she was. Then I pretended to drop the milk. And when someone drops something towards you, especially something heavy, it's more or less instinct to put your hands out to try and stop it. Particularly the hand you're used to using. Now which hand shot out first when I dropped the milk, Kuro-observant?"

"The left one," Kurogane concluded, now on the same page as the sleuth. "But why didn't we just arrest her then and there? Why the elaborate scheme?"

"Well, I can deduce any number of things about our killer that coincide with the adorable checkout girl, but it's all circumstantial. She left no real evidence at the scene, and her knives are the type that anyone can buy, so it wouldn't look suspicious if she had them at home. We needed some decisive evidence, therefore, and isn't it the most decisive of all if we catch her in the act?"

_I see his point. There's really no way around this, and it was the only way to definitely know where she was going to strike next. Now we just have to wait..._

A muffled sound in the corridor made them fall silent, holding their breaths. Kurogane looked over at Fai, who nodded and lifted himself off the armchair, feet moving lightly over the soft carpet. Kurogane did the same, signalling for the girl to be quiet as he offered a hand to help her up. They scuttled quickly away from the entrance, Sakura looking like she wanted to bolt for the nearest exit (which was, of course, blocked). Now Kurogane just had to come up with a good ambush in the time before their target was due to walk through the front door. He was hoping the lock might slow her down but, judging from the other murders, it appeared she had experience with picking them efficiently. If she saw the two men when she came in she'd panic, run, and it would all be over.

Luckily his army training had taught him to think quickly in tense situations.

The door opened exactly one minute later, revealing a slim silhouette dressed in a sweeping black coat trimmed with a delicate lace pattern of the same colour around the hems. It concealed the majority of her outfit, bar the black tights and heels protruding from the bottom, but their flair was stolen by the main draw of the ensemble. Long black hair cascaded in delicate strands from the top of the head to mid-thigh, catching the light in the apartment and reflecting it back in a dazzling display. It served as an excellent method of hiding the woman's face, which of course was the true aim of the excellently made wig.

Glancing around hurriedly, she tried to calm her breathing. This wasn't how it was meant to happen, it was supposed to have proper planning and preparation, but they were _just too close_ to figuring out what was really going on. If she didn't kill her tonight, then tomorrow she could wake up to a knock on the door and a shiny new pair of bracelets. It had to be now. She would have plenty of time to dispose of the evidence, since the girl lived alone and had no regular visitors. _Yes_. It would be easy to get rid of the girl, then off a couple more people just to make sure.

Rationality calming her down, she reached into the long coat and pulled out her ever-faithful companion. Once a set of two, its partner now regrettably in the hands of her enemy, it gleamed viciously in the lamplight, beautiful in its murderous simplicity. At least there was less risk involved in this one; the girl was small and weak, unlike the ones who came before her. It would be a simple matter to overpower her and put the knife in her back. No inconsistencies meant that there would be no more scrutiny given to this murder than to the others, and her true motive would remain hidden. Focusing her senses, she noticed a continuous slapping sound, indicating that the girl was in the shower. Light seeped from under the closed bathroom door, confirming this assumption. Making sure to tread as lightly as possible, she moved closer to her quarry.

Right outside of the door, the noise was louder. The occasional loud slap of water meant that someone was definitely in there; it wasn't just being run to get up to temperature. This was important to know. She needed to be sure of her victim's location exactly, to better take her by surprise. It would be a disaster if she was running the shower and was actually in the bedroom undressing. Anything like that could lead to a struggle, and that would leave evidence. But she was in there; that was for sure.

Thankfully she _had_ done some preparation for this, the murder she was willing to hide to the extent that she had killed others to mask her motive. At least, she had discreetly broken into the apartment one afternoon when the girl had been at work, to get her bearings. So she knew that inside the bathroom, the shower hung over the bathtub, which had an encircling curtain to prevent the floor from getting wet. So it'd be no problem to sneak in quietly, unseen.

She did just that, twisting the doorknob _ever so gently_ to enter. The door shifted open with no resistance at all, and didn't creak, thankfully. The sight that greeted her was precisely as she had anticipated; the small white-tiled room had a bath lined up along one wall, occupying most of the space, the interior currently shielded from view by a brightly coloured shower curtain embossed with cherry blossoms. The sound of the person showering was almost thundering now, along with the blood in her ears, as she reached out a hand to open the curtain at the end away from the showerhead. If luck was with her, the girl would be facing away, and her job would be much easier. If not, it was a simple matter of spinning her around before she realised what was happening.

She pulled open the curtain with her left hand.

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>

**Eheh, yep, it's a cliffhanger! /turns off _Psycho_ music for now/ **

**I hope I've managed to leave you in suspense! As always, let me know what you think, and I'll see you next week! :D**


	6. The butterfly revealed

It turned out her luck was incredibly poor today. _Dreadfully poor_. Instead of the skinny naked girl she'd been expecting, she was suddenly faced with a shirtless giant of a man, crimson eyes gleaming as he scrutinised her down the barrel of his revolver. Water ran down him in rivulets as they stood there for a few moments, frozen, as her brain tried to comprehend what was happening.

_Trap it's a TRAP! Get out getout GETOUTNOW!_

She panicked and slashed wildly, taking the man a little by surprise as the very tip of her knife sliced into the skin of his hand. She turned to run without thinking, ignoring the cry from the drenched man behind her, who had almost dropped his gun as he recoiled from the stab. She had to get out, it didn't matter if they knew who she was, there were ways of disappearing! She crossed the bathroom threshold, aiming for the front door...

... and crashed to the ground as a leg came out of nowhere, catching her around the ankles as she tried to flee. She hit the carpet hard, the hands that shot out to save herself gaining friction burns on the way down. The knife flew across the room, landing neatly near the sofa. Her attempt to scramble to her feet and continue escaping was quickly thwarted by the foot in her back, followed by the quick swipe of the butt of a gun to her temple. She was out before she could even despair over her capture.

"Crazy bitch," Kurogane grumbled, straightening himself from a crouching position. He stashed the gun back into his waistband, bringing his injured hand up to his mouth; thankfully it was a shallow wound.

"Now, now, Kuro-K.O., you should always treat women with the proper courtesy," the blonde idiot said, flexing the ankle of the leg he had used as a tripwire. "Even if they are trying to kill our adorable little princess..."

Said princess poked her head around the door from her bedroom. She had been hiding in there, in the dark, since their attacker had entered, along with the mage as backup in case anything went wrong on Kurogane's end.

"Is it over?" She asked fearfully, stepping cautiously towards the unconscious woman. Seeing Kurogane's bleeding hand, she darted into the bathroom momentarily, switching the shower off and returning with bandages, antiseptic wipes and a large fluffy towel.

"Yeah, princess, it's over." Kurogane replied, grabbing the items as he went over to the sofa, flipping open his mobile to notify the inspector of their citizen's arrest. Whilst he was doing this, Fai leaned over and grabbed the mystery woman, turning her over so that they could see her face. He sat himself down next to her, cross-legged, staring at her like a curator in a museum.

"Alright they're on their way," Kurogane confirmed, phone snapping shut. "What the hell are you doing down there, sleuth?"

"Just examining our lovely captive," he replied, smiling, "I was right, after all."

_Of course you were. Now if you would stop being so smug about it, I might actually congratulate you out loud._

"Why does she hate me so much?" Sakura asked, sinking to the floor herself, more out of relief than anything else. "What have I done to make someone want to kill me?"

Fai's smile grew even wider, which was not really the best way to reassure a scared teenage girl. Kurogane frowned at him, but said nothing, choosing to towel himself dry instead. He could sense one of the blonde's deductive spiels coming on, and he didn't want to interrupt when all the answers were being revealed.

Said blonde gazed down at his captive, then up at the two people looking down at them. "First of all, look at her." His hands descended to the woman's face, gently brushing the hair back from her features. "Notice a resemblance?"

Kurogane looked. He couldn't see anything, not at first. So he kept staring. His time with Fai had trained him to scrutinise things closely, so he did just that, looking at each tiny feature in turn to find out what the sleuth was hinting at. Suddenly, information leapt out at him, little similarities akin to those of another person. Those cheekbones, the shape of the eyes, the flick of the nose...

_Hang on a minute... what the hell's going on here? She almost looks like—_

Sakura stared down in shock. "I've never really looked close enough to see this before, but there's a definite similarity to Yuuko, more now because of the hairstyle, I think. I don't understand- what's going on?"

"It's actually simple to deduce, one you've figured out the true motive behind the murders. Our killer felt that Yuuko's money shouldn't go to you, and so she devised a plot in order to remove the inheritor. The thing is, in order to get the money once she was gone, there's a certain requirement one has to fill. You have to be related to the deceased."

He paused dramatically, cerulean eyes gleaming as he observed their reactions.

"So our assailant must be a relative that has done something so as to be ignored in a will, or Miss Ichihara had no significant contact with her and thus did not consider her family enough for inheritance. I thought the latter, so I did some digging when we split up earlier today.

"'That child', as Kuro-inquiry informed me of later on, confirming what I had learned, was definitely not referring to you, young princess. Neighbours can be quite nosy, and the ones living next to the Ichihara family were no different. Sakura's grandmother, as it turns out, had quite the complicated love life. Her husband died not long after the birth of Nadeshiko, their second child and Sakura's mother, and she'd hopped from one relationship to the next since then. When her two daughters were attending secondary school, their mother was involved with a certain man. He was charming, sure, and financially prosperous in his business ventures... the only problem was that he was a mobster. She probably got in too deep, saw the ugly side of her beloved, and started looking for ways out. The last straw came when she realised she was carrying a child. A _female_ child."

Fai delivered a light poke to the unconscious woman's cheek as if to emphasise his dramatic reveal.

"Though no one really knows what happened, it's fairly obvious that she would've had to have taken some drastic measures to escape from gangsters, particularly when it seemed that the man was extremely taken with her. So we'll assume that she stole some money and used it to move far away with her two children. Although she couldn't bear to terminate her unborn child, I don't think she wanted to keep her either, sadly. Maybe it was the association with the man she had come to fear, we'll never know, but the child was given up immediately after birth."

"So when I overhead mum and Aunt Yuuko talking on the phone..."

"Yes," Fai confirmed, gesturing at the prone woman, "they were talking about her. Calculating quickly, that would have been the year she turned 10. Maybe your mother brought it up, wanting to get in contact with their long-lost half-sister. Yuuko evidently disagreed, and thus the argument. Whether any contact was made, I don't know. What I do know is that something must have warped the mind of this young lady to the extent that she would resent _you_ enough to want to remove you from the picture.

"Being adopted will have been hard for her, no doubt about that. When I found her records, as scarce as they were, I noticed that she spent the first eleven years of her life in a children's home; growing up in relative poverty will have affected her in some manner. Not all kid's home occupants turn to murder, however, so there must have been another influence. Now, which profession do we know of that could teach an impressionable girl how to kill so precisely?"

"_Goddamn it._ He found her?"

"It's the most likely explanation. Since she wouldn't have any knowledge about the circumstances of her birth, there would normally be no reason for her to resent her lost family to the point of murder. But if there was someone there with a bitter anger, someone who likely resented the two other daughters for taking his woman away, then she might be turned against our poor princess here. Especially if that person had a motive for wanting a large amount of money; he felt that it was rightfully his, after all, plus interest for all the years since his woman had fled. So he probably told her about the circumstances of her abandonment, then built upon it with poisonous lies. Give it another eight years to fester, and we have the woman she is today. Meet Xing Huo, in many ways a victim of unfortunate circumstances, and our guest this evening."

Kurogane studied the delicate features of the unconscious woman. "And because our mobster hates Yuuko, who became famous and was loved by so many people, he helped devise the plot to make it look like a vengeful spirit." Kurogane added, frowning down at the pitiful woman. _Suddenly I feel a little guilty for whacking her so hard. _ "Plus she looks a lot like her in the wig and clothes, which provides something extra to throw the police off of her actual plan."

"Precisely. But we stopped her before she managed to carry out her objective. The real mastermind is rather well known to the police, and though I doubt our captive is going to give him up, there's no way he can make a move on Sakura now that all of this is out in the open. It'll be just the excuse the authorities need to finally take him down. Not a perfect victory, I'll admit, but there's always future opportunities to correct that."

_And that guarantees that Sakura won't be hunted down later. _That's _the most important part, idiot sleuth, not your perfect case record..._

A brief lapse of silence ensued, quickly broken by a rap on the door and an announcement of police presence. Kurogane shouted that it was open, and then all manner of chaos entered. Two armed policemen led the procession, quickly assessing the situation and lowering the barrels to train them on the prone woman's back. Inspector Doumeki entered next, followed by another half-dozen uniformed officers.

As they dragged out the unconscious woman a brief commotion could be heard in the hall, making Kurogane wonder if she had woken already, then a teenage boy burst onto the scene, dodging the restraining grip of a rookie officer. He would've gotten all the way to them if not for the quick reactions of the armed police, who performed an about-face even Kurogane was impressed with. The boy froze instantly, giving the rookie time to wrestle him to the floor in an arm lock.

"_Syaoran_?" Sakura called out, suddenly recognising the young man.

"Sakura! Are you okay? What's going on?" His voice was fraught with worry.

"I'm fine, Syaoran. There was a little trouble with my family, you know all about the murders and everything, but it's all right now." She smiled down at him, and suddenly it was like everyone else in the room was insignificant. At least, that was how Kurogane saw it.

_I see... he was the one she meant before. If he's here, I don't think we'll have to worry about the princess in the slightest... not that I'm worried. She's not my kid. But still..._

"Are you _sure_ you're alright?" He asked again, scrambling to his feet once the police released him and dashing over to the girl. His hands came up to her face, eyes roving over her features. "You're not hurt anywhere at all?"

"Yes, _yes_, Syaoran, I'm _fine_! Please just calm down!" She brought up her own hands to grasp his fingers gently, smiling sweetly at him. "Thanks for coming to check on me."

Their hands lowered and separated after a moment, and the two teenagers turned to face the policeman waiting to take a statement from Sakura. They went over to the couch together, the boy a pillar of support for his princess, whilst Doumeki grilled Kurogane and the sleuth on the exact events of the night. They recounted it quickly, Fai revealing his deductive process once more, blue eyes glazing with boredom as he did so. He hated having to go over anything twice for them, Kurogane knew that from experience, but he gave his statement without complaint, leaving out everything but the vital parts. They could go over everything more extensively the next morning, when he'd had time to pass out for a while without interruption.

The kids came back over to them after a long twenty minutes, just as Doumeki was finishing up with them. Sakura looked extremely tired, which was to be expected, but Syaoran was on hand to be her physical support also, allowing her to lean into his side so as not to fall over.

"So it's finished." Kurogane said as they approached. "We've caught the woman, and you'll be safe from now on."

"Yeah..." Sakura agreed, though a distant thought could be seen forming in her eyes, a fire kindled in the midst of hazy fatigue. "Do you know where she'll end up?"

"Who, that woman? Why do you want to know that?"

"I was thinking of visiting her, after this has blown over a little."

"_What_? You want to visit the psycho that just tried to kill you?" Kurogane exclaimed.

"_Why would you want to do that?_" Syaoran spluttered.

Sakura merely smiled in reply for a moment, as their outbursts abated. When the room's atmosphere appeared to be a little calmer, she said "I want to make amends for what my grandmother did. I know it's not entirely her fault that Xing Huo turned out that way, and I know that she'll probably not want to talk to me, but I want to try to understand her more. I want to try to be her friend; a real friend this time, with no secrets."

"Sakura..." Syaoran said softly, returning her smile as they lost themselves in each other's eyes.

_What a naive outlook on life... and yet, I do envy her, this princess that has so much forgiveness for her enemies. It could get her in trouble again someday, but at least with this kid she'll be protected from whoever tries to hurt her._

"Ahem," Kurogane said more loudly than necessary. The two teenagers suddenly realised where they were, surrounded by a captive audience, both going from zero to crimson in less than three seconds. "Our work here is pretty much done, so we'll leave you two alone now. You know where to call if you need anything. Look after her, kid."

"Try not to do anything too _naughty~_, you two lovebirds..." the idiot sleuth teased as they left, huge grin widening as he managed to turn them an even brighter shade of red. Rolling his eyes, Kurogane followed the blonde man out of the door.

* * *

><p><strong>So another case is solved thanks to our super sleuth and his faithful(?) companion! <strong>

**Stay tuned, however, because we still have the epilogue to come (and a bit of wish fulfilment for you K/F fangirls)! As always, please review!**


	7. Epilogue

**Alright, here is the last little bit! I hope you've enjoyed it: the twists, the mystery, the sexual tension...  
><strong>

**Special thanks go to ankou_chan on lj for the original prompt, and to her, Miss Aleatory and Xynostaph for their constant encouragement when this was being posted.**

**Since this is the last chapter, I'd appreciate it if those of you who favourited this could leave a review, just to say what you thought? Without further ado, enjoy the epilogue!**

* * *

><p>It was approaching ten thirty when they finally returned to their rooms at 221B Baker Street, the stars that might have been gleaming in the sky masked by a combination of smog, cloud and light pollution. It was a chilly night, much like the morning that seemed so long ago, and rain had begun to fall as they left Sakura's apartment, slow at first but then hammering down like it hadn't rained in months, droplets bouncing heavily off the pavements and roads. They were drenched as they got out, even though it was only a few steps to the front door, and Kurogane almost wanted to strangle the sleuth as he dug awkwardly through his pockets for the key.<p>

_Couldn't you have gotten it out in the taxi, idiot? I just managed to get dry again! I'm going to be shivering for the next three days at this rate, and don't think I won't make you suffer for that! Damn it, why did I leave my key on the table when we left?_

Mercifully, he found it and turned the lock moments later, both of them rushing inside and shutting out the awful weather. The place was dark except for the small lamp on a table near the door. They dripped all across the hall and up the stairs, but Kurogane really couldn't give a damn what Mrs Hibiya would think right now. Being courteous to their landlady was pretty low on his list of priorities compared to his pressing need to get out of the clothes now clinging uncomfortably to his skin. Again.

They reached the top of the first flight of stairs, facing the open door leading into the living room and study. It was mostly dark inside, light from a streetlamp streaming weakly through a gap in the closed curtains the only illumination. The sleuth looked like he was heading for there first, so Kurogane decided to rush upstairs for the blissful warmth of a hot shower (unclothed this time) before the blonde could decide otherwise.

He froze on the second step, however, when Fai's attempt to flick on the light in the study was met with a cold instruction of "Don't turn on the light", accompanied dangerously by a click that could only be from a firearm.

_Goddamn it. I let my guard down too easily..._

"And put both of your hands in the air and turn around, Dr. Suwa." The mysterious voice commanded, stopping Kurogane's attempt to reach his own gun, still stashed in his waistband. He did as he was told, descending the stairs to stand by the blonde, who was squinting at the armchair that faced the door. Kurogane did the same, and could just make out a figure seated, right arm extended and confirming his suspicions. It was faint, but light reflected off of the end of the barrel, currently trained on his companion; it wavered between the two of them as he drew level with the smaller man.

"Why are you in the dark? It doesn't take _my_ intellect to know who you are, Fei-Wang Reed's most trusted assistant. Mr. Rondart, was it? I must say, your organisation's structure isn't all that secret..."

The man in the chair showed no reaction, and simply replied, "It matters not that you know my identity. Just know this. I came here to deliver a message on behalf of my employer."

"You mean you came here to threaten us?" Kurogane growled back at him.

"Ah, Dr. Suwa, ever the hot-headed sidekick. _Do_ try to restrain your pet, Mr Fluorite; I can't be responsible for any slips of my finger if he decides to pounce."

Kurogane swore at him in response, all his willpower focused on not losing his temper and proving the bastard's point. _You'd better keep hiding behind that gun, _he raged internally, hoping his eyes could relay his thoughts, _because otherwise I can't guarantee your life..._

"Say what you mean to and then kindly leave," Fai stated matter-of-factly, yawning a little. "We've had a long day, and I'd like to finish up my experiment in the kitchen before retiring."

The lack of intimidation likely bothered the mobster, since the air in the room suddenly grew a lot more chilly, tension rising enough that Kurogane thought he could actually physically feel it. The shadowy figure stood, his growing proximity causing the adrenaline coursing through Kurogane's body to increase, and stalked over to them, weapon held steady. He appeared to be built similarly to the mage, tall and stick-like; if he didn't have the gun, Kurogane suspected he might be able to snap the man like a twig.

"'I'd like to point out the possible _side effects_ of tangling with me, gentlemen.' My boss told me to inform you. 'You've caught the culprit of the murders, so there's no need to do any further investigation; the case is completely done and dusted. I have a great many friends in the underworld, Mr Fluorite, many whom would _love_ to see if your insides look the same as everyone else's, so let this be my advice to you: stay away from my business interests in the future.'"

With his piece delivered, the shadowy man moved to pass them and descend the stairs. As he reached level with them, however, Fai's hand shot out, gripping the tall man by the shoulder. Kurogane, eyes now adjusted to the gloom, saw a flash of something dangerous gleaming in the gangster's gaze for a moment, hidden partially by small lenses. Then it was gone, replaced by the icy coolness he had demonstrated earlier, an impenetrable wall hiding all emotion. The hand that had almost fired on instinct was lowered, finger loosening on the trigger. Kurogane let out a breath that he hadn't realised he had been holding.

"You almost left without giving me a chance to reply," the consulting detective said calmly, hand still on the man's shoulder. "You gave me a piece of advice, sir, so I think it's only courteous that I return the favour. Tell your master this: if any of my future investigations provide evidence indicating your involvement, it will _not_ end well." His grip tightened on the shoulder, the smile on his face emphasising the wicked gleam in his eyes. This one was dangerous too, Kurogane reminded himself. "At that time, I will do _everything_ in my power to bring you down. Better men have tried to take me out, Mr Reed, and none have yet succeeded. You have been warned."

He released the man, who quickly snatched away his body and started forwards, only to be stopped again as Kurogane grasped him by the wrist holding the gun. He turned to face the doctor, whose face was very close to his as he growled his own warning.

"Stay away from the girl," the large man threatened, red eyes speaking of the blood to be spilled if his warning went ignored. "If I find out any of you bastards have been near her from now, don't expect that little toy to protect you." He gave the wrist an extra-hard squeeze just to emphasise his point, then stalked away up the stairs to the shower. The mobster left as quickly and quietly as possible, unable to think of any final insults as he fled.

* * *

><p>Kurogane entered the living room again, now fully lit by the bulbs overhead, heading straight for the sofa on the far right. He could still hear the storm raging outside, wind beating raindrops against the windows in a rapid rhythm. He flopped down, slouching as he sank into the cushions, glad that he had changed into a comfy (and dry) pair of jogging bottoms and a baggy T-shirt. His uninjured hand came up to the back of his head, lightly grasping the spikes there. The headache he had felt coming on after the mobster left had never fully emerged, and the hot shower had done something towards helping it stay that way. It was merely a very dull throbbing now, mostly overshadowed by the fatigue spreading through his muscles. It had been a <em>very<em> long day, and the surprise visit had only increased his exhaustion now that the adrenaline had drained away. He'd get something to eat in a second, since it had been a long while and his stomach was protesting, then he would go to bed and hope for uninterrupted sleep. Now the only problem was gathering the motivation to move.

"Nice shower, Kuro-doctor?" His flatmate called from the kitchen, out of sight.

"Well deserved, I think. It's been a hectic case, and all in one day."

"Yeah," Fai agreed, stepping into his line of sight. He had taken off his coat, which lay draped over the back of one of the armchairs, but it had been partially open when they had arrived. The shirt he wore had been soaked at the top, his hair still adding to the damage, and the fabric clung to his chest, revealing the dips and curves of wiry muscles.

"It's been a bizarre one, though," Kurogane continued, attempting to distract his brain from heading somewhere he didn't really want to know about. "What started out as a weird string of murders ended up being a ploy to get the inheritance of an innocent girl for a pissed off mobster. It's better than anything I could've read in a book."

"Ah, Kuro-fiction," the sleuth said, moving towards him (_no, that's really not necessary- we can talk across the room to each other_) "You should know by now that life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent."

The blonde came to a stop in front of him, and suddenly his torso was so close that it obscured the majority of his field of vision, meaning his eyes snapped right back to examining the lines of his body beneath the near-transparent shirt.

"You know," Fai said suddenly, and Kurogane quickly moved his eyes to the man's face for fear that he'd been caught staring, "something's been bothering me all day about you."

_Crap- he did see me staring! What is wrong with me today? Why do I suddenly find him attra-_

_nono_no _you did _not_ just think that! Maybe the headache is getting to me? He's not going to let this go, is he? I'll never live it down!_

"You see, Kuro-strange, I've noticed certain signs that point towards a certain conclusion. For example..." His fingers came up to brush against his cheek, and Kurogane had no way of escaping with the man looming over him like that. What was worse was that his cheeks had begun to burn wherever those fingers touched, and he was quickly starting to turn towards a shade reminiscent of the two teenagers earlier.

"See, your face is quite hot, Kuro-furnace," he said, hand trailing down his neck and over his collarbone. He (_goddamn it_) shivered involuntarily at this, trying to keep as still as possible until the blonde decided he was finished trying to figure Kurogane out. He thought he saw a small flicker of a smile from the blonde at his reaction, but it might have been his imagination.

"You're cold, sleuth," Kurogane blurted out, quickly covering for himself, "and you're dripping all over me!" He brought his own hand up to the blonde's hair to demonstrate, which was doing a good job of wetting him all over again, and squeezed a handful of golden mess in his hands. It was a mistake, he realised, since now he didn't really know if he wanted to let go of it. He quickly dropped his hand before he did anything he might regret.

"That may be so, Kuro-dry," Fai countered, hand descending further, "but I don't think that accounts for how quickly _this_ is beating..." His palm came to rest on his chest, damp fingers stilling to feel his heart pumping far too rapidly.

"Well, I did just have a hot shower, which is also why I'm still warm." He explained, attempting to keep his voice steady. Water had seeped through his shirt at the point of contact, and he had to stop his breathing altogether to prevent any embarrassing noises escaping as that palm rubbed against a nipple. To his great horror, he realised it was hardening, along with other (much more obvious) parts of his body, straining to meet the fingertips that dragged across it. He almost leant forwards as they left his body, returning to rest at their owner's side, but restrained himself. He had no idea what was going on, only that this could only be some terrible new way for the blonde to torment him.

At least he had retreated, for now. _It'll give me some time to work out what the hell is happening in my head._

Or so he thought, but the blonde was coming closer instead of leaving, leaning over him with his hands on either side of Kurogane's head, boxing him in and demanding his full attention.

"You should probably get a shower, sleuth, before you catch hypothermia." It was an absolute last-ditch attempt to rid himself of the most awkward situation he'd ever been in.

"This is more important," Fai replied softly, azure catching onto crimson and holding him there, frozen, as he revealed his line of thought. "You see, all of these things indicate something very particular, especially when combined with _one last piece of evidence_..."

Before Kurogane could move or stop him, the smaller man had brought up his knee onto the sofa, planting it between his legs and leaning forwards slightly. The leg pressed lightly against his groin, but it was enough to make him hiss and grab the front of the blonde's shirt, fingers scrunching into the wet fabric.

"W-What the _hell_ do you think you're d-doing, sleuth?" He demanded, struggling to maintain his composure. The knee was still creating a pressure against him, and he could feel himself start to push back against it.

"Just confirming my deductions," Fai smirked, leaning down further into Kurogane's space, one hand coming up to run through his hair. The change in position increased the pressure on his lower half, and he gasped before he could help himself, fingers twitching against the blonde's chest. He knew he was bright red now, and probably made up a lascivious picture with the blonde leaning into him like this; he hoped Mrs Hibiya was already asleep. Heat was thundering through him right now, mostly concentrated at the point where that knee refused to move, and he knew that there was no way he was getting out of this.

"If I'm not mistaken, I'd deduce that you find me attractive..." The smaller man whispered against his ear, drawing his face back to hover before Kurogane's. The blonde was close now in a way that he hadn't been earlier in the day, that smirk growing by the second, but thoughts of revenge were halted when he caught the look in those eyes.

A smouldering fire of barely restrained lust stared back at him.

He suddenly reassessed everything that the man was doing. Sure, he thought it was a little too far for a joke, but he had never considered the possibility that the blonde was serious about this. And his deduction was right, Kurogane realised with startling clarity; why else would he be responding this way to another _man_, particularly this annoyance of one?

"Are you _sure_ about that, Mr. Consulting Detective?" He growled in reply, dragging his hands down the blonde's torso to rest on his hip bones, and earning a delightful shudder from the other man.

Fai responded by shuffling onto Kurogane's lap properly, knees resting on either side of the doctor's thighs. He rolled his hips slowly against the larger man's groin, revealing his own growing arousal, causing a low growl and a tightening of the fingers grasping at his hips.

"I'm not stupid, _Kuro_-_obvious_..." The blonde man whispered against those lips.

"You'll always be an idiot to me, sleuth." Kurogane growled back, exhaustion and desire to stay dry forgotten as he crushed their bodies together, finally closing the distance between them with an insistent kiss.

**-End-**

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review! <strong>

**If inspiration strikes (and with the return of Sherlock next year, I'm hoping it does), there may just be some oneshots attached to this universe, so look forward to them! :D**


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